London Bridge | London Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia London Bridge is a bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London , England, over the River Thames . Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge , it forms the western end of the Pool of London . On the south side of the bridge are Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge Station ; on the north side are the Monument to the Great Fire of London and Monument tube station . It was the only bridge over the Thames downstream from Kingston until Westminster Bridge opened in 1750. The bridge carries part of the A3 road, which is maintained by the Greater London Authority; the bridge itself is owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates (see City Bridge Trust), an independent charity overseen by the City of London Corporation. Tower Bridge is often mistakenly referred to as London Bridge. The area between London Bridge and Tower Bridge on the south side of the Thames is managed by the London Bridge Business Improvement District (BID) Company. Contents Edit A bridge has existed at or near the present site over the period from the Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago.

The first bridge across the Thames in the London area, probably a military pontoon bridge, was built of wood by the Romans on the present site around 50 AD. Around 55 AD, a piled bridge was constructed, and the local Britons built a small trading settlement next to it—the town of Londinium. The settlement and the bridge were destroyed in a revolt led by Queen Boudicca in 60 AD. The victory was short-lived, and soon afterwards the Romans defeated the rebels and set about building a new walled town. Some of the 2nd century Roman wall has survived to this day. The new town and bridge were built around the position of the present bridge, providing access to the south-coast ports via Stane Street (the A3 route) and Watling Street (the A2). The bridge fell into disrepair after the Romans left. As Londinium was also abandoned, there was little need for a bridge at this point and in the Saxon period the river was a political boundary between the hostile kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex.

With the impact of the Viking invasions, the reconquest of the Roman city by the kings of Wessex and its re-occupation by Alfred the Great, the political conditions arose for a Saxon bridge crossing to be placed here. However, there is no archaeological evidence for a bridge before Aethelred's reign and his attempts to stem the Sweinian invasions of the 990s. In 1014, according to a much later skaldic tradition, the bridge was pulled down by the Norwegian prince Olaf, as he was aiding King Aethelred in what, if true, was a successful bid to divide the defending forces of the Danes who held the walled City of London plus Southwark, thereby regaining London for the Anglo-Saxon king. This episode might have inspired the well-known nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down", although the version of the song known today refers to the many bridges that were destroyed and rebuilt, and the trading done on the shops over it ("Silver and Gold") in the 14th century, so the song's origin is presumably of a much later date.

The earliest contemporary written reference to a Saxon bridge is in 1016, when it was by-passed by King Cnut's ships in his war to regain the throne from Edmund II "Ironside". The rebuilt Norman London Bridge was destroyed in 1091 by a storm that spawned a T8/F4 tornado, which also struck St Mary-le-Bow, and is known as the London Tornado of 1091. The repair or replacement of this was carried out by William II "Rufus" through forced labour, along with the works at the new St Paul's Cathedral and the development of the Tower of London . It was destroyed yet again, this time by fire, in 1136. "Old" (Medieval) London Bridge Edit An engraving by Claes Van Visscher showing Old London Bridge in 1616, with Southwark Cathedral in the foreground. The spiked heads of executed criminals can be seen above the Southwark gatehouse. Following the 1136 destruction, some rebuilding was carried out during the reign of Stephen, presumably along the same lines as those instituted by William Rufus.

On Henry II's accession, there was an attempt to regularise its maintenance by the institution of a national monastic guild to support this work—effectively by sale of indulgences. There is evidence that there were also unlicensed local guilds in London with the same purpose. In 1163, Peter de Colechurch was appointed as the "Warden of the Brethren of the Bridge", and this seems to have combined all of the preceding ad hoc arrangements. In 1173, Peter soon proposed to replace the timber bridge with a stone one, almost certainly required by the popularity of the Thomas Becket cult and the associated pilgrimage from the bridge to Canterbury. Construction began under de Colechurch's direction in 1176. A chapel was built near the centre of the bridge (dedicated to the recently martyred and canonised Becket who, appropriately, had been born in the parish of St Mary Colechurch). St. Thomas Chapel was grander than many small-town parish churches; it even had a river-level entrance for fishermen and those who taxied passengers across the river. The new bridge took 33 years to complete and was not finished until 1209, during the reign of King John.

John licensed the building of houses on the bridge, as a direct means of deriving revenue for its maintenance, and it was soon colonised by shops. The medieval bridge had 19 small arches and a drawbridge with a defensive gatehouse at the southern end. Contemporary pictures show it crowded with buildings of up to seven stories in height. The narrowness of the arches meant that it acted as a partial barrage over the Thames, restricting water flow and thereby making the river more susceptible to freezing over in winter because of the slower currents. The current was further obstructed by the addition of waterwheels (designed by Peter Morice) under the two north arches to drive water pumps, and under the two south arches to power grain mills. This produced ferocious rapids between the piers or "starlings" of the bridge, as the difference between the water levels on each side could be as much as six feet (two metres). Only the brave or foolhardy attempted to "shoot the bridge"—steer a boat between the starlings—and many were drowned trying to do so. As the saying went, the bridge was "for wise men to pass over, and for fools to pass under".

The decision of King John to allow shops to be built on London Bridge slowed down the traffic crossing the river. The houses and shops took up space and could draw crowds, and when carts broke down or animals misbehaved, crossing the bridge could take up to an hour. For this reason, people on foot often chose to use the dozens of river taxi boats that quickly ferried Londoners from shore to shore. Although the bridge itself was about 26 feet (8 m) wide, the buildings on the bridge took up about 7 feet (2 m) on each side of the street. Some of these buildings projected another seven feet out over the river. The road for traffic was thereby reduced to just 12 feet (4 m) wide. This meant that horses, carts, wagons, and pedestrians all shared a passage way just six feet wide, one lane going north and one south. There were a few places where houses and shops were not built, which allowed people to get out of the traffic and enjoy a glimpse of the river and the shorelines of London. Nearly two hundred places of business lined both sides of the narrow street. Ale and beer were not sold on the London bridge because these beverages required cellars, which were not present.

The merchants lived above their shops and sold goods from the street-level floor. They used windows to show their goods and transact business; over each shop hung a sign usually in the shape of the articles sold, in order that the illiterate could recognise the nature of the business. These signs were posted high enough that a rider on a horse could pass beneath them—every inch of the small street had to be available to vehicular traffic. Many of the top floors of the houses and shops were built over the street and actually connected to the house or shop across the street, giving the street a tunnel look. This pedestrian alcove is one of the surviving fragments of the old London Bridge that was demolished in 1831. The gates to London Bridge were closed at curfew, and the bridge was regarded as a safe place to live or shop. Located within the jurisdiction of the City of London parish of St Magnus and the Southwark parish of St Olave, the Bridge community was almost a town unto itself. In 1284, after many years of legal dispute, the City of London gained effective control and instituted the Bridge House Estates trust City Bridge Trust to maintain it from the older revenues and new endowments.

The Bridge House stemmed from the site Peter de Colechurch's original "house", i.e. maintenance depot and residence for his monastic "brethren of the bridge", next to St Olave's church in Southwark, a site still marked by the street name "Bridge Yard". Various arches of the bridge collapsed over the years, and houses on the bridge were burnt during Wat Tyler's Peasants' Revolt in 1381 and Jack Cade's rebellion in 1450, during which a pitched battle was fought on the bridge. Artist's imaginative conception of Nonsuch House on London Bridge, 1811. The Northern Gate, the New Stone Gate, was replaced by Nonsuch House in 1577. The southern gatehouse, the Stone Gateway, became the scene of one of London's most notorious sights: a display of the severed heads of traitors, impaled on pikes and dipped in tar to preserve them against the elements. The head of William Wallace was the first to appear on the gate, in 1305, starting a tradition that was to continue for another 355 years.

Other famous heads on pikes included those of Jack Cade in 1450, Sir Thomas More in 1535, Bishop John Fisher in the same year, and Thomas Cromwell in 1540. A German visitor to London in 1598 counted over thirty heads on the bridge. The practice was finally stopped in 1660, following the Restoration of King Charles II. The buildings on London Bridge created a major fire hazard and served to increase the load on its arches, both of which may have contributed to the several disasters on the bridge. In 1212, perhaps the greatest of the early fires of London broke out on both ends of the bridge simultaneously, trapping many in the middle and reportedly resulting in the death of 3,000 people. Another major fire broke out in 1633, destroying the northern third of the bridge, although this prevented the bridge from being damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666.

By 1722, congestion was becoming so serious that the Lord Mayor decreed that "all carts, coaches and other carriages coming out of Southwark into this City do keep all along the west side of the said bridge: and all carts and coaches going out of the City do keep along the east side of the said bridge". This has been suggested as one possible origin for the practice of traffic in Britain driving on the left. Finally, in 1758–62, the houses were removed along with the two centre arches, replaced with a single wider span to improve navigation on the river. "New" (19th century) London Bridge Edit New London Bridge in the early 1890s By the end of the 18th century, it was apparent that the old London Bridge—by then over 600 years old—needed to be replaced. It was narrow, decrepit, and blocked river traffic. In 1799, a competition for designs to replace the old bridge was held, prompting the engineer Thomas Telford to propose a bridge with a single iron arch spanning 600 feet (180 m).

However, this design was never used, owing to uncertainty about its feasibility and the amount of land needed for its construction. The bridge was eventually replaced by a structure of five stone arches, designed by engineer John Rennie. The new bridge was built 100 feet (30 m) west (upstream) of the original site by Rennie's son (of the same name). Work began in 1824 and the foundation stone was laid, in the southern cofferdam, on 15th June 1825. The old bridge continued in use as the new bridge was being built, and was demolished after the latter opened in 1831. The scheme necessitated the building of major new approach roads, which cost three times that of the bridge itself. The total construction cost of around £2.5 million was met by the Corporation of London and government. The contractors were Jolliffe and Banks of Merstham, Surrey. A fragment from the old bridge is set into the tower arch inside St Katherine's Church, Merstham. Rennie's bridge had a length of 928 feet (283 m) and a width of 49 feet (15 m).

Haytor granite was used in the construction, transported via the unique Haytor Granite Tramway. The official opening took place on 1 August 1831; King William IV and Queen Adelaide attended a banquet in a pavilion erected on the bridge. The recently constructed HMS Beagle was the first ship to pass under it. London Bridge was widened in 1902–04 from 52 to 65 feet (16 to 20 m), in an attempt to combat London's chronic traffic congestion. A dozen of the granite "pillars" quarried and dressed for this widening, but unused, still lie near Swelltor Quarry on the disused railway track a couple of miles south of Princetown on Dartmoor. In the end, the widening work proved too much for the bridge's foundations; it was subsequently discovered that the bridge was sinking an inch (3 cm) every eight years. By 1924, the east side of the bridge was some three to four inches (102 mm) lower than the west side; it soon became apparent that this bridge would have to be removed and replaced with a more modern one.

Sale of Rennie's bridge to the United States Edit Rennie's Old London Bridge during reconstruction at Lake Havasu in March 1971 In 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed the bridge on the market and began to look for potential buyers. Council member Ivan Luckin had put forward the idea of selling the bridge, and recalled: "They all thought I was completely crazy when I suggested we should sell London Bridge when it needed replacing." On 18 April 1968, Rennie's bridge was sold to the American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil for US$2,460,000. The claim that McCulloch believed mistakenly that he was buying the more impressive Tower Bridge was denied by Luckin in a newspaper interview. As the bridge was taken apart, each piece was numbered to aid re-assembly; those markings can still be seen today. The bridge was reconstructed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and re-dedicated on 10 October 1971.

The reconstruction of Rennie's London Bridge spans a man-made canal that leads from Lake Havasu to Thomson Bay, and forms the centrepiece of a theme park in English style, complete with mock-Tudor shopping mall. Rennie's London Bridge has become Arizona's second-biggest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon. The rebuilt London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona The version of London Bridge that was rebuilt at Lake Havasu consists of a concrete frame with stones from the Old London Bridge used as cladding. The cladding stones used are 150 to 200 millimetres (6 to 8 inches) thick. The remaining stone was left at Merrivale Quarry at Princetown in Devon. When Merrivale Quarry was abandoned and flooded in 2003, some of the remaining stone was sold in an online auction. Modern London Bridge Edit The current London Bridge was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson. The senior engineer was Alan Simpson, the superstructure was designed by a team led by Michael Leeming, and foundations by a team led by Keith Ponting.

The bridge was constructed by contractors John Mowlem and Co from 1967 to 1972, and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 March 1973. It comprises three spans of prestressed-concrete box girders, a total of 928 feet (283 m) long. The bridge's lights were made from Napoleon's cannons. The bridge was built to be functional and long-lived, and, as such, it is noticeably less decorated than other Thames bridges. The cost of £4 million was met entirely by the City Bridge Trust charity. The current bridge was built in the same location as Rennie's bridge, with the previous bridge remaining in use while the first two girders were constructed upstream and downstream. Traffic was then transferred onto the two new girders, and the previous bridge demolished to allow the final two central girders to be added. London Bridge with the Gherkin in the background In 1984, the British warship HMS Jupiter collided with London Bridge, causing significant damage to both ship and bridge.

On Remembrance Day 2004, various London bridges were furnished with red lighting as part of a night-time flight along the river by wartime aircraft. London Bridge was the one bridge not subsequently stripped of the illuminations, which are switched on at night. The current London Bridge is often shown in films, news and documentaries showing the throng of commuters journeying to work into The City from London Bridge Station (south to north). A recent example of this is actor Hugh Grant crossing the bridge north to south during the morning rush hour, in the 2002 film About a Boy. Tourist attractions A new tourist attraction, the London Bridge Museum, is scheduled to open by 2012 in the vaults in the southern abutment of the bridge. Events Edit On 31 August 2008, Amanda Cotterell who was made Freeman of the City of London in 2007, exercised her right to lead her sheep across the bridge, which was allowed under an 11th Century law.

London Bridge (Pepys' Diary) London Bridge City of London wall and Great Fire damage – Hollar's 1666 map after the Fire Wikipedia Five lanes of the A3 Crosses Various wooden bridges (AD50–1176) History Opened 17 March 1973 (1973-03-17) Many historical bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark , in central London . The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1974, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. This replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first built by the Roman founders of London. [1] The current bridge stands at the western end of the Pool of London but is positioned 30 metres (98 ft) upstream from previous alignments. The traditional ends of the medieval bridge were marked by St Magnus-the-Martyr on the northern bank and Southwark Cathedral on the southern shore.

Until Putney Bridge opened in 1729, London Bridge was the only road-crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames . Its importance has been the subject of popular culture throughout the ages such as in the nursery rhyme " London Bridge Is Falling Down " and its inclusion within art and literature. The modern bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates , an independent charity overseen by the City of London Corporation . It carries the A3 road , which is maintained by the Greater London Authority . [2] The crossing also delineates an area along the southern bank of the River Thames, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge , that has been designated as a business improvement district . [3] Contents History Location The abutments of modern London Bridge rest several metres above natural embankments of gravel, sand and clay. From the late Neolithic era the southern embankment formed a natural causeway above the surrounding swamp and marsh of the river's estuary ; the northern ascended to higher ground at the present site of Cornhill . Between the embankments, the River Thames could have been crossed by ford when the tide was low, or ferry when it was high.

Both embankments, particularly the northern, would have offered stable backheads for boat traffic up and downstream – the Thames and its estuary were a major inland and Continental trade route from at least the 9th century BC. [4] There is archaeological evidence for scattered Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement nearby, but until a bridge was built there, London did not exist. [5] Two ancient fords were in use a few miles upstream , beyond the river's upper tidal reach. They were aligned with the course of Watling Street and led into the heartlands of the Catuvellauni , who at the time of Caesar's invasion of 54 BC were Britain's most powerful tribe. Some time before Claudius' conquest of AD 43, power shifted to the Trinovantes , who held the region northeast of the Thames estuary from a capital at Camulodunum . The first London Bridge was built by the Roman military as part of a road-building programme to help consolidate their conquest.

[6] Roman bridges The first bridge was probably a Roman military pontoon type , giving a rapid overland shortcut to Camulodunum from the southern and Kentish ports, along the Roman roads of Stane Street and Watling Street (now the A2 ). The Trinovantes submitted to Rome; a major colonia was imposed on Camulodunum, which became capital city of the new Roman province of Britannia . Around AD 55, this temporary bridge was replaced by a permanent timber piled bridge , maintained and guarded by a small garrison. On the relatively high, dry ground at the northern end of the bridge, a small, opportunistic trading and shipping settlement took root, and grew into the town of Londinium . [7] A smaller settlement developed at the southern end of the bridge, in the area now known as Southwark . The bridge was probably destroyed along with the town in the Boudican revolt (60 AD), but both were rebuilt and Londinium became the administrative and mercantile capital of Roman Britain.

The upstream fords and ferries remained in use but the bridge offered uninterrupted, mass movement of foot, horse, and wheeled traffic across the Thames, linking four major arterial road systems north of the Thames with four to the south. Just downstream of the bridge were substantial quays and depots, convenient to seagoing trade between Britain and the rest of the Roman Empire . [8] [9] Early medieval bridges With the end of Roman rule in Britain in the early 5th century, Londinium was gradually abandoned and the bridge fell into disrepair. In the Saxon period , the river became a boundary between the emergent, mutually hostile kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex . By the late 9th century, Danish invasions prompted at least a partial reoccupation of London by the Saxons. The bridge may have been rebuilt by Alfred the Great soon after the Battle of Edington as part of Alfred's redevelopment of London in his system of burhs , [10] or it may have been rebuilt around 990 under the Saxon king Æthelred the Unready to hasten his troop movements against Sweyn Forkbeard , father of Cnut the Great .

A skaldic tradition describes the bridge's destruction in 1014 by Æthelred's ally Olaf , [11] to divide the Danish forces who held both the walled City of London and Southwark. The earliest contemporary written reference to a Saxon bridge is c.1016 when chroniclers mention how Cnut 's ships bypassed the crossing, during his war to regain the throne from Edmund Ironside . Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, King William I rebuilt the bridge. The London tornado of 1091 destroyed it, also damaging St Mary-le-Bow . [12] It was repaired or replaced by King William II , destroyed by fire in 1136, and rebuilt in the reign of Stephen . Henry II created a monastic guild, the "Brethren of the Bridge", to oversee all work on London Bridge, and in 1163 its Warden, Peter of Colechurch, supervised the bridge's last rebuilding in timber. "Old" (medieval) London Bridge An engraving by Claes Visscher showing Old London Bridge in 1616, with what is now Southwark Cathedral in the foreground.

The spiked heads of executed criminals can be seen above the Southwark gatehouse. After the murder of his erstwhile friend and later opponent Thomas Becket , Archbishop of Canterbury , the penitent King Henry II commissioned a new stone bridge in place of the old, with a chapel at its centre dedicated to Becket as martyr . The archbishop had been a native Londoner and a popular figure. The Chapel of St Thomas on the Bridge became the official start of pilgrimage to his Canterbury shrine ; it was grander than some town parish churches, and had an additional river-level entrance for fishermen and ferrymen. Building work began in 1176, supervised by Peter, a priest and chaplain of St Mary Colechurch . [13] The costs would have been enormous; Henry's attempt to meet them with taxes on wool and sheepskins probably gave rise to a later legend that London Bridge was built on wool packs . [13] It was finished by 1209 during the reign of King John . It had taken 33 years to complete, and John licensed out building plots on the bridge to help recoup the costs; but it was never enough.

In 1284, in exchange for loans to the royal purse, the City of London acquired the Charter for its maintenance , based on the duties and toll-rights of the former "Brethren of the Bridge". The bridge was some 26 feet (8 m) wide, and about 800–900 feet (240–270 m) long, supported by 19 irregularly spaced arches, founded on " starlings " set into the river-bed. It had a drawbridge for the passage of tall ships up-river, and defensive gatehouses at both ends. By 1358, it was already crowded, with 138 shops. At least one two-entranced, multi-seated public latrine overhung the bridge parapets and discharged into the river below; so did an unknown number of private latrines reserved for Bridge householders or shopkeepers and bridge officials. In 1382–83 a new latrine was made (or an old one replaced) at considerable cost, at the northern end of the bridge.

[14] The buildings on London Bridge were a major fire hazard and increased the load on its arches, several of which had to be rebuilt over the centuries. In 1212, perhaps the greatest of the early fires of London broke out on both ends of the bridge simultaneously, trapping many people in the middle. Houses on the bridge were burnt during Wat Tyler 's Peasants' Revolt in 1381 and during Jack Cade 's rebellion in 1450. A major fire of 1633 that destroyed the northern third of the bridge formed a firebreak that prevented further damage to the bridge during the Great Fire of London (1666). Detail of Old London Bridge on the 1632 oil painting "View of London Bridge" by Claude de Jongh By the Tudor era there were some 200 buildings on the bridge. Some stood up to seven storeys high, some overhung the river by seven feet, and some overhung the road, to form a dark tunnel through which all traffic had to pass, including (from 1577) the palatial Nonsuch House .

The roadway was just 12 feet (4 m) wide, divided into two lanes, so that in each direction, carts, wagons, coaches and pedestrians shared a passageway six feet wide. When the bridge was congested, crossing it could take up to an hour. Those who could afford the fare might prefer to cross by ferry, but the bridge structure had several undesirable effects on river traffic. The narrow arches and wide pier bases restricted the river's tidal ebb and flow, so that in hard winters, the water upstream of the bridge became more susceptible to freezing and impassable by boat. The flow was further obstructed in the 16th century by waterwheels (designed by Peter Morice ) installed under the two north arches to drive water pumps, and under the two south arches to power grain mills; the difference in water levels on the two sides of the bridge could be as much as 6 feet (2 m), producing ferocious rapids between the piers . [15] Only the brave or foolhardy attempted to "shoot the bridge"—steer a boat between the starlings when in flood—and some were drowned in the attempt.

The bridge was "for wise men to pass over, and for fools to pass under." [16] This pedestrian alcove, now in Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets , is one of the surviving fragments of the old London Bridge that was demolished in 1831. A similar alcove from the same source can be seen at the Guy's Campus of King's College London . The southern gatehouse became the scene of one of London's most notorious sights — a display of the severed heads of traitors , impaled on pikes [1] and dipped in tar and boiled to preserve them against the elements. The head of William Wallace was the first to appear on the gate, in 1305, starting a tradition that was to continue for another 355 years. Other famous heads on pikes included those of Jack Cade in 1450, Thomas More in 1535, Bishop John Fisher in the same year, and Thomas Cromwell in 1540.

In 1598, a German visitor to London, Paul Hentzner , counted over 30 heads on the bridge: [17] “ On the south is a bridge of stone eight hundred feet in length, of wonderful work; it is supported upon twenty piers of square stone, sixty feet high and thirty broad, joined by arches of about twenty feet diameter. The whole is covered on each side with houses so disposed as to have the appearance of a continued street, not at all of a bridge. Upon this is built a tower, on whose top the heads of such as have been executed for high treason are placed on iron spikes: we counted above thirty. ” Evelyn's Diary noted that the practice stopped in 1660, following the Restoration of King Charles II , [18] but heads were reported at the site as late as 1772.

[19] By 1722 congestion was becoming so serious that the Lord Mayor decreed that "all carts, coaches and other carriages coming out of Southwark into this City do keep all along the west side of the said bridge: and all carts and coaches going out of the City do keep along the east side of the said bridge." This has been suggested as one possible origin for the practice of traffic in Britain driving on the left. [20] From 1758 to 1762, all houses and shops on the bridge were demolished through Act of Parliament. The two centre arches were replaced by a single wider span to improve navigation on the river. Drawing of London Bridge from a 1682 panorama "New" (19th-century) London Bridge The Demolition of Old London Bridge, 1832, Guildhall Gallery, London. New London Bridge in the late 19th century. By the end of the 18th century, it was apparent that the old London Bridge — by then over 600 years old — needed to be replaced. It was narrow and decrepit, and blocked river traffic.

In 1799, a competition for designs to replace the old bridge was held. Entrants included Thomas Telford , whose proposal of a single iron arch spanning 600 feet (180 m) was rejected as unfeasible and impractical. John Rennie won the competition with a more conventional design of five stone arches. It was built 100 feet (30 m) west (upstream) of the original site by Jolliffe and Banks of Merstham , Surrey , [21] under the supervision of Rennie's son . Work began in 1824 and the foundation stone was laid, in the southern coffer dam , on 15 June 1825. Spare corbels for London bridge left behind at Swelltor Quarry on Dartmoor , Devon . They lie beside the former narrow gauge Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway . The old bridge continued in use while the new bridge was being built, and was demolished after the latter opened in 1831. New approach roads had to be built, which cost three times as much as the bridge itself.

The total costs, around £2.5 million (£205 million in 2015), [22] were shared by the British Government and the Corporation of London . Rennie's bridge was 928 feet (283 m) long and 49 feet (15 m) wide, constructed from Haytor granite. The official opening took place on 1 August 1831; King William IV and Queen Adelaide attended a banquet in a pavilion erected on the bridge. In 1896 the bridge was the busiest point in London, and one of its most congested; 8,000 pedestrians and 900 vehicles crossed every hour. [1] It was widened by 13 feet (4.0 m), using granite corbels. [23] Subsequent surveys showed that the bridge was sinking an inch (about 2.5 cm) every eight years, and by 1924 the east side had sunk some three to four inches (about 9 cm) lower than the west side. The bridge would have to be removed and replaced.

Sale of Rennie's London bridge to Robert McCulloch Rennie's "New" London Bridge during its reconstruction at Lake Havasu City, Arizona , March 1971. Rennie's "New" London Bridge rebuilt, Lake Havasu City, 2003. In 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed the bridge on the market and began to look for potential buyers. Council member Ivan Luckin had put forward the idea of selling the bridge, and recalled: "They all thought I was completely crazy when I suggested we should sell London Bridge when it needed replacing." On 18 April 1968, Rennie's bridge was sold to an American. It was purchased by the Missourian entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil for US$2,460,000. The claim that McCulloch believed mistakenly that he was buying the more impressive Tower Bridge was denied by Luckin in a newspaper interview. [24] As the bridge was taken apart, each piece was meticulously numbered. The blocks were then shipped overseas through the Panama Canal to California and trucked from Long Beach to Arizona .

The bridge was reconstructed by Sundt Construction at Lake Havasu City, Arizona , and re-dedicated on 10 October 1971. The reconstruction of Rennie's London Bridge spans the Bridgewater Channel canal that leads from the Uptown area of Lake Havasu City and follows McCulloch Boulevard onto an island that has yet to be named. The London Bridge that was rebuilt at Lake Havasu City consists of a frame with stones from Rennie's London Bridge used as cladding . The cladding stones used are 150 to 200 millimetres (6 to 8 inches) thick. Some of the stones from the bridge were left behind at Merrivale Quarry at Princetown in Devon . [25] When Merrivale Quarry was abandoned and flooded in 2003, some of the remaining stones were sold in an online auction. [26] Modern London Bridge The current London Bridge, pictured in January 1987. The skyscraper in the background is the National Westminster Tower , opened six years prior. The current London Bridge was designed by architect Lord Holford and engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson .

[27] It was constructed by contractors John Mowlem and Co from 1967 to 1972, [27] and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 March 1973. [28] It comprises three spans of prestressed-concrete box girders , a total of 928 feet (283 m) long. The cost of £4 million (£51 million in 2015), [22] was met entirely by the Bridge House Estates charity. The current bridge was built in the same location as Rennie's bridge, with the previous bridge remaining in use while the first two girders were constructed upstream and downstream. Traffic was then transferred onto the two new girders, and the previous bridge demolished to allow the final two central girders to be added. [29] In 1984, the British warship HMS Jupiter collided with London Bridge, causing significant damage to both ship and bridge. On Remembrance Day 2004, several bridges in London were furnished with red lighting as part of a night-time flight along the river by wartime aircraft.

London Bridge was the one bridge not subsequently stripped of the illuminations, which are regularly switched on at night. The current London Bridge is often shown in films, news and documentaries showing the throng of commuters journeying to work into the City from London Bridge Station (south to north). A recent example of this is actor Hugh Grant crossing the bridge north to south during the morning rush hour, in the 2002 film About a Boy . On Saturday, 11 July 2009, as part of the annual Lord Mayor 's charity Appeal and to mark the 800th anniversary of Old London Bridge's completion in the reign of King John, the Lord Mayor and Freemen of the City drove a flock of sheep across the bridge, supposedly by ancient right. [30] In vaults below the southern abutment of the bridge is ' The London Bridge Experience .' Transport The nearest London Underground stations are Monument and London Bridge . They are respectively at the northern and southern ends of the bridge. London Bridge station is also served by National Rail . London Bridge in literature and popular culture As previously noted, the various London Bridges have featured regularly in popular culture.

For example: The nursery rhyme " London Bridge Is Falling Down " has been speculatively connected to several of the bridge's historic collapses. Rennie's Old London Bridge is a prominent landmark in T.S. Eliot 's masterpiece " The Waste Land ", wherein he compares the shuffling commuters across London Bridge to the hell-bound souls of Dante's Limbo . Gary P. Nunn 's song "London Homesick Blues" includes the lyrics, "Even London Bridge has fallen down, and moved to Arizona, now I know why." [31] Modern London Bridge gallery The central arch of the current London Bridge Closeup of arch and pier Panoramic photograph of the Thames at night, with London Bridge to right London Bridge viewed from Southwark on the South Bank The City of London viewed from the southern end of London Bridge The City beyond London Bridge Evening commuters crossing London Bridge towards Southwark, 2007. The northern end of London bridge illuminated at night See also • Link I was interested to see the refererence to souvenirs made from the pilings of the original London Bridge in the article linked to above by Susanna.

We have in our family two wooden egg cups, one of which has a label on the bottom with the following hand written inscription: "This cup is formed out of a portion of the oak Piles on which the orginal London Bridge was built in the year 1016 making at this time (1850) 834 years since the Piles were placed". I have always been rather sceptical of the authenticity of these egg cups but I suppose it is possible that they really were made from the remains of the bridge. The cups were inherited from my great uncle Jack (Charles John Munk) who was killed on the Somme in 1916 aged 22. They were almost his only possessions and are mentioned in the letter that he wrote to be given to his parents in the event of his death. ✹ • Link For the record, there are at least three models of old London Bridge on display in London. Absolutely the best one is in the entrance to the Church of St Magnus the Martyr (can anyone take a photo of this one?). To find the church, stand at the Monument and look downhill to the river and it is the church that's directly across the road.

If it is closed, you can still see fragments of the later London Bridge in the churchyard, and a wooden Roman harbour post from 2000 years ago. The biggest model is in the Docklands Museum. The third is badly lit and displayed, and nothing special, but is the most accessible because it is in the Museum of London. ✹ • Link London Bridge (old), a stone bridge over the Thames from London to Southwark, 926 feet long, 60 feet high, and 40 feet broad, built between 1176 and 1209, under the superintendence of Peter of Colechurch, chaplain of the former church of St. Mary Colechurch, in the Old Jewry. This bridge stood about 200 feet east of the present structure in the line of Fish Street Hill, just by the church of St. Magnus, and consisted of twenty arches, a drawbridge for larger vessels, and a chapel and crypt in the centre, dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury, and in which the said Peter of Colechurch was buried in 1205. ---London, Past and Present. H.B.

Wheatley, 1891. ✹ London Bridge Facts | Primary Facts London Bridge Facts by James • 22 Comments London Bridge has actually been replaced numerous times during the history of the crossing. As a result, the term London Bridge doesn’t just refer to the current bridge over the River Thames joining the City of London with Southwark, it refers to all of the bridges throughout history that have spanned the Thames in this location. Here are some facts about London Bridge: The Romans built the first version of what was to become London Bridge. This was probably a pontoon style crossing and it linked the Roman roads called Stane Street and Watling Street with the Camulodnum settlement. The bridge was made more permanent by the Romans in about 55 AD and, although the bridge was probably destroyed during the revolt led by Boudicca , it would have been rebuilt and the town of Londinium (London) grew around it. After the Romans left Britain, the Saxons allowed the bridge to fall into disrepair as the River Thames formed the boundary between the lands of Mercia and those of Wessex.

William the Conqueror rebuilt the wooden bridge, but it was destroyed in 1091 in the ‘London Tornado’. It was also rebuilt and repaired by both William II and King Stephen. The first stone version of London Bridge was started by Henry II in 1176. Henry II died before the bridge was completed. Work on London Bridge finally stopped in 1209, during the reign of King John. The cost of construction was massive. Old London Bridge, as it is often referred to, was built upon 19 arches. It had a drawbridge at each end to allow tall ships to pass through it. Many different types of building were built on the bridge. In the 14th century, there were over 100 shops on the bridge along with a public latrine. There were over 200 buildings on London Bridge in the Tudor Period . Some were more than six stories high and many overhung the road in the centre of the bridge. The road was only four metres wide and had to deal with traffic going both ways. As a result, London Bridge was often congested.

The severed heads of traitors were impaled on spikes on a tower of the southern gatehouse in full-view of everyone who used London Bridge. The heads of William Wallace, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell were all displayed there. In 1722, in an attempt to improve the congestion on the bridge, the Lord Mayor decided that bridge users should keep to the left. Those heading into the City should use the west side of the bridge and those heading towards Sothwark should stick to the east side. In 1758 all of the buildings on the bridge where taken down and a large central arch was constructed to make it easier for ships to pass under the bridge. New London Bridge was designed by John Rennie and was constructed with five stone arches. It was located about 30 metres upstream of Old London Bridge and the older bridge was still used while the new one was being built. New London Bridge was officially opened on 1st August 1831. The new bridge was very heavily used. In 1896 it was estimated that more than 8000 pedestrians and nearly 1000 vehicles crossed the bridge every hour.

The bridge started to sink into the bed of the Thames at a rate of about an inch every eight years. The decision was made to remove it and replace it. London Bridge was sold to Robert P McCulloch, a businessman from Missouri (United States). The bridge was reconstructed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Lord Holford designed the current London Bridge. Building work started in 1967 and was completed in 1972. The bridge is featured in the traditional nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down. What next? Find out some facts about Tower Bridge (which is often confused with London Bridge), or visit out London resources page . Most Popular Bridges in the World « INDEZINER INDEZINER Tags: architecture , bridge , Design , Photography If you ask a network expert what is a bridge you will get this answer in about 99% of cases: “A bridge is a device that separates two or more network segments within one logical network”. If you ask a british you may get this answer: “A card game descended from whist, played by two partnerships of two players who at the beginning of each hand bid for the right to name” or maybe “Tower Bridge”.

But, if you ask a child he will tell you that a brige makes easy to cross a river. In any of the cases the answer is true but in most of the cases the child is right. This is why we consider that would be best to present you some examples of great bridges in the world that give the real meaning to this “bridge” word. Tower Bridge (London,England) Tower Bridge is a bridge located over the Thames in London. It was built between 1888 – 1894 and connects the south with the northern city. The total length of the bridge is 244 m, with two towers of 65m each. Tower Bridge was designed in Gothic style by Horace Jones. On the north bank of the Thames is London's Tower (Tower of London) and St. Katharine Docks. On the south bank is City Hall. Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, US) Golden Gate Bridge located in the western United States in California, was inugurat on May 27, 1937. The first day of entry into service only pedestrian bridge was opened that day, called “Pedestrian Day”, is crossed by 200,000.

With an opening of 1.280 m, the Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco to Sausalito city, is located above the Golden Gate Strait which connects the Pacific Ocean (west) and San Francisco Bay (east). Bridge, which has a total length of 2,737 m, has become known that the vast building was first suspended at over 150 m above sea level, while being a shining example of architectural style “Art Deco” later in the United States. It quickly became a symbol of San Francisco, often identified with the liberal spirit of the influential Californian city. Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney, Australia) The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is nicknamed “The Coathanger” because of its arch-based design; however, to most Sydneysiders it is known simply as “The Bridge”.

The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932. The bridge's design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York. According to the Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge. It is also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level. Until 1967 the Harbour Bridge was Sydney's tallest structure. Ponte Vecchio (Florence, Italy) “Ponte Vecchio” is the oldest bridge in Florence, located at the bottom of the river Arno. It is a place where there were at least three previous bridges, one in Roman times, one which collapsed in 1117, and one that was destroyed by the flooding river Arno in 1333. The bridge was built by Neri di Fioravante (1345). It has a solid structure with three arches. It is characterized by small houses that are lined on both sides of the bridge.

In the fourteenth century buildings have had a compact architecture, but as time changes have occurred that led to today's picturesque image. At the center of the bridge over river street narrows between those buildings offering a view over the Arno River and other bridges. Since the sixteenth century, the shops on the bridge became jewelers shops-stores. Previously, some of these shops were butchers. Gateshead Millenium Bridge (Gateshead, England) The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.

The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules II, one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001, and was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2002. The bridge, which cost £22m to build, was part funded by the Millennium Commission and European Regional Development Fund. It was built by Volker Stevin. Six 45 cm (18 in) diameter Hydraulic rams (three on each side, each powered by a 55 kW electric motor) rotate the bridge back on large bearings to allow small ships and boats (up to 25 m (82 ft) tall) to pass underneath. The bridge takes as little as 4.5 minutes to rotate through the full 40° from closed to open, depending on wind speed. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the “Blinking Eye Bridge”.

Erasmusbrug (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Erasmus Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas river, linking the northern and southern halves of the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The Erasmusbrug was designed by Ben van Berkel and completed in 1996. The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge has a 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of “The Swan”. The southern span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world. The bridge was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on September 6, 1996, having cost 165 million Dutch guilders (about 75 million euro) to construct. Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic in October 1996, it was discovered the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, stronger shock dampers were installed.

Westminster Bridge (London, England) Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest the bridge. This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament. With an overall length of 252 metres (826.8 ft) and a width of 26 metres (88 ft), it is a seven-arch wrought iron bridge with Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). It is the second oldest bridge in central London, after London Bridge. Millau Bridge (Tarn Valley, France) Millau Viaduct is a road bridge cables passing over the Tarn valley, in the department of Aveyron, France. The bridge, officially inaugurated on December 14, 2004, holds four world records.

Millau Viaduct is located within villages and Creissels Millau in Aveyron department, France. Before building the bridge, traffic on the highway down the Tarn River valley bottom, following the national road 9, near Millau. This causes congestion at the beginning and end of summer holidays. The bridge crosses above the Tarn valley below the point of it, uniting two hills of limestone Causse and Causse du Larzac Rouge, hills placed in Grands Causses regional natural park. Hoban viaduct is a bridge with a length of 2460 m. Crosses the river Tarn in nearly 270 m. Deck, with a width of 32 m, contains a highway with two bezi and emergency tape each direction of travel. The bridge is supported by seven feet long by 87 feet high pillars, which are hung the 11 pairs of Hoban. Radius of curvature of the bridge is 20 km, which allows precise vehicle trajectory than straight.

Fehmarn Belt Bridge (Baltic Sea, Germany and Denmark) The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is an immersed tunnel that is proposed to connect the German offshore island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland. This would cross over the Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea – 18 km (11 mi) wide – hence providing a direct link by railroad and highway between northern Germany and Lolland, and thence to the Danish island of Zealand. This route is known in German as the Vogelfluglinie and in Danish as the Fugleflugtslinjen The bridge would be about 20 km long, comprising three identical cable-stayed spans, with each span being 724 metres (2,375 ft) long. The vertical clearance would have been about 65 m (213 ft) above sea level, allowing ocean-going ships to pass beneath it. The design of the bridge links was being carried out by the Dissing+Weitling company for its aesthetical features and by the COWI and Obermeyer companies for their civil engineering aspects. The proposed design carries four motorway lanes and two railway tracks.

When completed in 2018 the Fehmarn Belt Bridge will stretch 11.8 miles and connect the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion. The Kintai Bridge (Iwakuni, Japan) The Kintai Bridge is a historical wooden arch bridge, in the city of Iwakuni, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The bridge was built in 1673, spanning the beautiful Nishiki River in a series of five wooden arches, and the bridge is located on the foot of Mt.Yokoyama, at the top of which lies Iwakuni Castle. Declared a National Treasure in 1922, Kikkou Park, which includes the bridge and castle, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, especially for the Cherry Blossom festival in the spring and the autumn color change of the Japanese Maples. The bridge is composed by five sequential wooden arch bridges on four stone built piers as well as two of wooden piers on the dry riverbed where the bridge begins and ends.

Each of the three middle spans is 35.1 meters long, while the two end spans are 34.8 meters for a total length of about 175 meters with a width of 5 meters. Oresund Bridge (Oresund Strait, Denmark and Sweden) Oresund Bridge to Sweden leaving the island where Peberholm continue with a tunnel, Tunnel Drogden up in Denmark. Each of these three sections is a great technical achievement. The bridge itself, supported by cables, with the 7845 m long, is one of the largest buildings of its kind in the world with the largest opening (490 m) between the two legs that weighs 82,000 tons per meter. Although the ship traffic in the area takes place on the tunnel, the highest pillar is 204 m at the top is a four lane road that passes under a railway double the average height of the bridge is 57 meters Peberholm Island there is a shift from the bridge to the tunnel. Peberholm is an artificial island built for this purpose, over 2 km long and several hundred meters wide, unpopulated, which belongs to Denmark.

Drogden Tunnel starts from the middle of the island and after crossing the 3510 m under the sea, it continues with two tunnels of 270 m on land. Reason for which was built in place of the tunnel is another bridge that was too close to Copenhagen Airport. Tsing Ma Bridge (Hong Kong, China) The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the largest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic. The 41-metre (135 ft) wide bridge deck carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction.

The lower level contains two rail tracks and two sheltered carriageways, used for maintenance access and traffic lanes when particularly severe typhoons strike Hong Kong and the bridge deck is closed to traffic. Bosphorus Bridge (Istanbul, Turkey) The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, spanning the Bosphorus strait and thus connecting Europe and Asia. The bridge is located between Ortaköy (on the European side) and Beylerbeyi (on the Asian side). It is a gravity anchored suspension bridge with steel pylons and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck hangs on zigzag steel cables. It is 1,510 m (4,954 ft) long with a deck width of 39 m (128 ft). The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft) and their height over road level is 105 m (344 ft). The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).

The Bosphorus Bridge had the 4th longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1973, and the longest outside the United States. At present, it is the 17th longest suspension bridge span in the world. San Diego – Coronado Bridge (San Diego, US) The San Diego-Coronado Bridge, locally referred to as the Coronado Bridge, is a “prestressed concrete/steel” girder bridge, crossing over San Diego Bay in the United States, linking San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 75. The 11,179-foot-long (3,407 m or 2.1 mi) bridge ascends from Coronado at a 4.67 percent grade before curving 80 degrees toward San Diego. The span reaches a maximum height of 200 feet (61m), allowing the U.S. Navy ships which operate out of the nearby Naval Station San Diego to pass underneath it. The five-lane bridge featured the longest box girder in the world until it was surpassed by a bridge in Chongqing, China in 2008.

The bridge doesn't form a direct path to Coronado, but rather has a curve. This was done so it would be high enough for all U.S. Navy ships to pass underneath but not too steep for vehicles to ascend and descend. Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge (Kobe-Naruto, Japan) Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge. It is a suspension bridge that crosses the Akashi Strait, liaising between Maiko in Kobe and Iwaya on Island Awaji. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a total length of 3911 m and 1991 m opening. Bridge is 4,073 m long cable and 112 cm thick, is constructed so as to withstand winds of 286 km / h, earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale and the strong water currents in the area. Summer because of the heat, the length of the bridge is going to vary by up to 2 meters on the same day. The two support towers stands at 298 m above sea level.

Hangzhou Bay Bridge (Zhejiang, China) Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a long highway bridge with a cable-stayed portion across Hangzhou Bay in the eastern coastal region of China. It connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. At 35.673 km (22 mi) in length, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is one of the longest trans-oceanic bridges in the world. Construction of the bridge was completed on June 14, 2007, and an opening ceremony was held on June 26, 2007, to great domestic media fanfare. The bridge was not opened to public use until May 1, 2008, after a considerable period of testing and evaluation. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km (249 mi) to 280 km (174 mi) and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours.

Magdeburg Water Bridge (Magdeburg, Germany) The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany, opened in October 2003 and part of the Magdeburg crossing of waterways. It connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal, crossing over the Elbe River. It is notable for being the longest navigable aqueduct in the world, with a total length of 918 metres (3,012 ft). The Elbe–Havel Canal and Mittelland Canal canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe, which was at a significantly lower elevation than the two canals. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before ascending to the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

Brooklyn Bridge (New York City, US) The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name from an earlier January 25, 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972. Nanpu Bridge (Shanghai, China) The Nanpu Bridge, in Shanghai, China, sister bridge to the Yangpu Bridge, is one of the main bridges in Shanghai.

The cable-stayed bridge was designed by the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute, Shanghai Urban Construction College, and Shanghai Urban Construction Design Institute, with assistance from Holger S. Svensson. It has a main span of 428 meters (1,388 ft), shorter than its sister bridge. It is the 57th longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, opened to the public in 1991. Richmond Bridge (London, England) Richmond Bridge is an 18th-century stone arch bridge in south west London, England, which was designed by James Paine and Kenton Couse, and which crosses the River Thames at Richmond, connecting the two halves of the present-day London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The bridge, which is a Grade I listed building, was built between 1774 and 1777, as a replacement for a ferry crossing which connected Richmond town centre on the east bank with its neighbouring district of East Twickenham (St. Margarets) to the west. Its construction was privately funded by a tontine scheme, for which tolls were charged until 1859.

The bridge was widened and slightly flattened in 1937–40, but otherwise still conforms to its original design. The eighth Thames bridge to be built in what is now Greater London, it is today the oldest surviving Thames bridge in London. Chapel Bridge (Lucerne, Switzerland) The Chapel Bridge is a 204 meter (670 foot) long bridge crossing the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and one of Switzerland’s main tourist attractions. The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Luzerne’s history. Much of the bridge, and the majority of these paintings, were destroyed in a 1993 fire, though it was quickly rebuilt. Chengyang Bridge (Dong Minority, China) Chengyang Bridge (also known as Wind and Rain Bridge) was built in 1916, and it is the most famous among the wind and rain bridges in the Dong Minority Region in China. The bridge stretches across the Linxi River and it still in heavy use.

It is constructed of wood and stone without nails or rivets and is the largest of all the wind and rain bridges. It is 64.4 meters long, 3.4 meters wide and 10.6 meters high. Alcántara Bridge (Alcántara, Spain) Crossing the Tagus River at Alcántara in Spain, the Alcántara Bridge is a masterpiece of ancient Roman bridge building. The bridge was built between 104 and 106 by an order of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 98 AD, who is honored by a triumphal arch in the center of the bridge and a small temple at one end. The Alcántara Bridge has taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on one side while the second arch on the other side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese. Si-o-se Pol (Isfahan, Iran) Si-o-se Pol (The Bridge of 33 Arches) is a famous bridge in the Iranian city of Isfahan. It is highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design.

Commissioned in 1602 by Shah Abbas I, the bridge is build of bricks and stones. It is 295 meters long and 13.75 meters wide. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33. Rialto Bridge (Venice, Italy) The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that some architects predicted a future collapse. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice.

Question: Which bridge crossing The River Thames did Queen Elizabeth II open on 17th March 1973?
Answer: London Bridge